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© Österreichischer Tierschutzverein

25. 07. 12. - 16:00

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25. 07. 12. - 16:00

Snake man lied about finding monster beast

Austrian Guenter Punschik, 48, praised for his bravery after fishing a giant boa constrictor out of a local river and handing it to cops has been exposed as a con man after police found he owned the beast.

Local media revealed how he had fished the beast out of the River Glan in Salzburg and it ended up at the Salzburg Haus der Natur after being passed on by the Österreichischer Tierschutzverein.

But later Punschik admitted he had been given it as a present when drunk - and had been horrified in the morning when he woke up in bed next to the snake and saw how big it was.

Punschik said: "I hadn’t noticed as it was dark and I couldn't even remember who gave it to me. I told the police that I had found it as I didn’t know what else to say and I had nowhere else to put it."

Punschik now faces the cost of the rescue operation and the costs of keeping the snake in the Salzburg Haus-der-Natur.

Austrian Times

Police raid dairy headquarters
A raid in the second largest Austrian dairy NÖM, which started on 15 May, was terminated yesterday (Thur) afternoon. Employees of the Federal Competition Authority (BWB) are still in the headquarters in Baden.

Austrian on trial over Aldi blackmail
The trial of a 61-year-old man from Salzburg, who blackmailed the company Aldi South, started yesterday (Wed) in Duisburg, Germany. The defendant has already admitted that he demanded 15 million Euros from the firm.

State secretary denies interfering over Baumgartner taxes
The extreme sportsman Felix Baumgartner stated that the Ministry of Finance spared him additional taxation by political intervention. The former Financial Secretary Reinhold Lopatka (ÖVP) denies these claims.

Search for trapped after Felbertauern rockfall
The Felbertauern road in Tyrol, Western Austria, has been closed completely after rock fall last night (Mon). Rock came down on the East Tyrol side just before 2 a.m. It completely destroyed an avalanche gallery.

Delunamagma creditors to lose most of their investment
The creditors of the technology firm Delunamagma Industries GmbH from Bludesch-Gais, Vorarlberg (Western Austria) will lose the majority of their money in the bankruptcy proceedings.

SPÖ Salzburg votes for new party leader
The current health and social state councillor Walter Steidl has been elected the new head of the Social democratic party of Salzburg yesterday (Mon).

SPÖ see devastating loss after weekend election
The SPÖ lost a huge amoung of votes in the Salzburg state election yesterday (Sun). The party of Governor Gabi Burgstaller only achieved 23.81%, which is a loss of 15.58% compared to 2009. Even though the ÖVP lost more than seven percent, they came first. The Green Party is a winner of this election.

VAT fraudster arrested in Germany
The police of Flachgau, state of Salzburg, arrested a presumed fraudster from Germany. The 35-year-old is suspected of having committed tax evasion as the head of a European-wide operating union.

Finance scandal reason for early election
The financial scandal in Salzburg has been hotly debated since last December. Many people lost their trust in the government and this has led to early elections on 5 May.

TV show reveals the dark side to energy drink Red Bull
A documentary of the "Erstes Deutsches Fernsehen" (ARD), which was shown on TV on Monday night, deals with the dark side of the company Red Bull. It is about risky spectacles with a deadly end.